Systems and methods for 3d printing with vacuum assisted laser printing machine

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods in which a material or materials (e.g., a viscous material) are printed or otherwise transferred onto an intermediate substrate at a printing unit(s). The intermediate substrate having an image of material printed thereon is subsequently transferred to a sample building unit, and the image of material is transferred from the intermediate substrate to a sample at the sample building unit. Optionally, the printing unit(s) includes a coating system that creates a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the material is transferred from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate at the printing unit(s). Each of the printing units may employ a variety of printing or other transfer technologies. The system may also include material curing, heating, sintering, ablating, material filling, imaging and cleaning units to aid in the overall process.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is Continuation Application of U.S. Application No.17/247,983, filed on 4 Jan. 2021, which is a nonprovisional of andclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/706,212, filed 5Aug. 2020, each of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to systems and methods for printing aviscous material, in which the printing and curing of the viscousmaterial are performed sequentially and at different physical locations.

BACKGROUND

In conventional additive or three-dimensional (“3D”) fabricationtechniques, construction of a three-dimensional object is performed in alayer-by-layer manner. Layer formation is performed throughsolidification of photo curable resin under the action of visible orultraviolet (“UV”) light irradiation.

Two main techniques are known: one in which new layers are formed at thetop surface of the growing object; the other in which new layers areformed at the bottom surface of the growing object. If new layers areformed at the top surface of the growing object, then after eachirradiation step the object under construction is lowered into the resin“pool,” a new layer of resin is coated on top, and a new irradiationstep takes place. An example of such a technique is given in Hull, U.S.Patent No. 5,236,637. A disadvantage of such “top down” techniques isthe need to submerge the growing object in a deep pool of liquid resinand reconstitute a precise overlayer of liquid resin.

If new layers are formed at the bottom of the growing object, then aftereach irradiation step, the object under construction must be separatedfrom the bottom plate in the fabrication well. An example of such atechnique is given in the above-mentioned Hull, U.S. Patent No.5,236,637. While such “bottom up” techniques hold the potential toeliminate the need for a deep well in which the object is submerged byinstead lifting the object out of a relatively shallow well or pool, aproblem with such “bottom up” fabrication techniques, as commerciallyimplemented, is that extreme care must be taken, and additionalmechanical elements employed, when separating the solidified layer fromthe bottom plate due to physical and chemical interactions therebetween.For example, in U.S. Patent No. 7,438,846, an elastic separation layeris used to achieve “non-destructive” separation of solidified materialat the bottom construction plane. Other approaches employ a slidingbuild plate, for example, U.S. Patent No. 9,636,873. Such approachesintroduce a mechanical step that may complicate the apparatus, slow thefabrication process, and/or potentially distort the product.

Continuous processes for producing a three-dimensional object aresuggested at some length with respect to “top down” techniques in U.S.Patent No. 7,892,474, and the best approach to this date is offered byWO 2014/126837. There, an interface between the first and second layersor zones of the same polymerizable liquid are formed. The first layer orzone (sometimes also referred to as a “dead zone”) contains an inhibitorof polymerization (at least in a polymerization-inhibiting amount); inthe second layer or zone, the inhibitor has been consumed (or has nototherwise been incorporated or penetrated therein) to the point wherepolymerization is no longer substantially inhibited. The first andsecond zones do not form a strict interface between one another, butrather there is a gradient of composition that can also be described asforming an interphase between them as opposed to a sharp interface, asthe phases are miscible with one another, and further create a(partially or fully overlapping) gradient of polymerization therebetween(and also between the three-dimensional object being fabricated, and thebuild surface through which the polymerizable liquid is irradiated).

Although promising, this technique has several limitations. First, itcan be used only for one material formulation at a time, limitingdramatically the physical properties of an article produced by thistechnique. The second limitation is the rate of the production, which islimited by the inhibitor used by the technique, the viscosity of theliquid phase, and the UV light source power. Another limitation is thatthe article is still immersed in a resin bath and it needs to be cleanedof residuals at the end of the fabrication process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to systems and methods for printing aviscous material, in which the printing and the curing are done in asequential way and not at the same place, creating a possibility toreduce dramatically the time of printing. In an initial stage, a viscousmaterial is printed to an intermediate substrate and that substrate ismoved sequentially to a vacuum chamber where the new layer is added to asample by curing. Since this is a sequential procedure, a multiplenumber of printing units can be added to the sequence, enabling manydifferent materials to be printed at the same layer and several postprocesses to increase speed, resolution, and diversity of materials ofthe same sample. The current invention provides a much faster way toproduce a three-dimensional article than is possible using conventionalprocesses by creating a next layer on a film at a high resolution andexposing it to a corresponding light source during contact between thefilm and a sample to produce the sample’s next layer. Since this is acontinuous sequence production, the rate of 3D object formation and itsversatility are improved over those of conventional methods. Multiplematerials can be introduced at each layer and no cleaning is needed atthe end of the production process.

The present inventors have recognized that it is desirable to print 3Dobjects using versatile materials while still maintaining a high-speedproduction. To that end, the inventors have developed systems andmethods that segregate the jetting process and the application process,thereby addressing jetting speed while avoiding limiting the process toa single material. In one embodiment of the invention, a vacuum assistedlaser printing system includes an initial printing to an intermediatesubstrate and a secondary adhering and curing station to a finalsubstrate. The system may include one or more imaging arrangements formonitoring and control of the various processes. Curing arrangements mayalso be included for the final product as well as intermediate materialsand processes.

In some embodiments of the invention, the printing system includes acoating system that creates a uniform layer of a to-be-printed materialon a substrate. Where present, the coating system may include a syringeof the to-be-printed material and an air or mechanical pump that drivesthe to-be-material from the syringe onto a donor or carrier substrate.The donor substrate is then moved towards and through a well-defined gapbetween rollers or knives to create a uniform layer of the to-be-printedmaterial with a thickness that is defined by the gap. Alternatively, thecoating system may include a screen-printing module where theto-be-printed material is coated on a screen or stencil of film withwell-defined holes and, using a blade or a squeegee, the to-be-printedmaterial is transferred to a substrate in a soft or hard engage. Instill further embodiments of the invention, the coating system mayinclude a dispenser or an inkjet head to print the material onto asubstrate, a gravure or micro-gravure system, a slot-die system, or aroller coating system that coats a substrate with a highly uniform layerof the to-be-printed material. The coating system may be housed inside aclosed cell with a controlled environment (cold or hot) to preventevaporation of solvent from the to-be-printed material or to preventmaterial oxidation, thereby prolonging the pot life of the material.Also, the coating system may contain more than one material, therebycreating a possibility for printing plural materials onto theintermediate substrate in a controlled sequence and making it possibleto print more than one material on the final substrate. Within thecoating system, the donor substrate may be translatable, bidirectionallyor otherwise, in a controlled manner, e.g., while opening a gap betweencoater rollers, creating the possibility for recoating the same area ofthe donor substrate with the to-be-printed material withoutcontamination of the rollers and reducing or eliminating the amount ofsubstrate consumed during the initial printing process, therebypreventing waste.

In various embodiments of the invention, the printed material may behigh viscosity light cured resin, a solder paste or other metal paste(s)used for printed electronics, a metal paste or a ceramic paste, a highlyviscous material, a wax material, a polymer material or a mix of apolymer and a monomer material, a sensitive low viscosity material, amaterial that can be cured by UV light or by heating, or a material thatcan be dried.

The printing process may use a laser-based system that contains a highfrequency laser to enable jetting of the material from one substrate toanother substrate. Either may use a laser assisted deposition / laserdispensing system rotated by 0-90 degrees or 90-180 degrees from a mainaxis of a gravitational field within which it is located, enablingsimpler mechanics without reducing printing quality.

In some cases, the printing process may use an inkjet head system thatenables jetting the material directly to the intermediate substrate, adispenser head system that enables printing the material directly to theintermediate substrate, or an offset printer module, a gravure printingmodule, or another printer module that enables printing the materialdirectly to the intermediate substrate. Alternatively, the printingprocess may use a screen-printing module in which the material is coatedon a screen or stencil of film with well-defined holes and a blade or asqueegee employed to transfer the material to a substrate in a soft orhard engage, creating an array of dots on the substrate. In someembodiments of the invention, after printing to the intermediatesubstrate in the printing unit, the printed intermediate substrate maybe further cured by UV light or dried by a heater and returned to theprinting unit for a second (or additional) layer printing.

In some embodiments of the invention, the printing process can be doneby a “Tetris like” approach. Using that approach, one coating cycle isused per several printing layers to maximize the material used. In thismanner, all the material from the coating film is being consumed byseveral layers minimizing the waste of the material and the coating filmand reducing printing time as well.

In some embodiments of the invention, the printing process can befollowed by a film cleaning unit. The cleaning unit will enable easyrecycling of excess material and easy recycling of the film. To thatend, a roller with a knife or a sponge roller can be applied to the mainfilm after the printing, or the main laser can be used to remove excessmaterial from the film after printing.

In some embodiments of the invention, the printing unit includes a gapcontrol unit configured to maintain a very well-defined gap between thedonor substrate and the intermediate substrate. For example, the verywell-defined gap between the coated substrate and the intermediatesubstrate may be maintained by a plane of three actuators at corners ofa control unit that allows both translation and rotation, as mentionedin U.S. PGPUB 2005/0109734 A1, U.S. Patent No. 6,122,036 A, WO2016/198291, and EP 3,219,412 A1. Such actuators may be used at cornersof a control unit for both the coated substrate and the intermediatesubstrate to allow both translation and rotation in two planes, wherethe two planes are independent of or riding on each other.

In another embodiment of the invention, the very well-defined gapbetween the donor substrate and the intermediate substrate is achievedby providing a fixed support below the intermediate substrate which ispart of the coating system framework. Or, the very well-defined gapbetween the coated substrate and the intermediate substrate may beachieved by using a transparent solid substrate instead of a film as anintermediate substrate.

In another embodiment of the invention, the very well-defined gapbetween the donor substrate and the intermediate substrate is achievedby using a fixed coating system that moves only in the z direction andan intermediate substrate that can move only in the x and y directionsof a plane that is connected directly to the fixed part, providing afixed support to both ends of the system.

In some embodiments of the invention, the intermediate substrate may bea continuous transparent film substrate, a transparent film substratecoated by a metal layer or by a metal and a dielectric layer, or atransparent solid substrate.

In some embodiments of the invention, after printing the intermediatesubstrate is moved, by motors, from a one printing unit toward anotherprinting unit. Thus, the intermediate substrate may be a continuous filmsubstrate that, by rolling, can deliver the material printed at thefirst printing unit to other printing units collecting multiplematerials at desired patterns and mixtures. Or, the intermediatesubstrate may be a transparent solid substrate that can deliver thematerial printed at the first printing unit to the other printing unitsby a robotic arm toward the end of creating a full image layer withmultiple materials, with optional change(s) in direction.

In some embodiments of the invention, after printing the intermediatesubstrate is flipped to enable easier engagement with the sample.

In some embodiments of the invention, the intermediate substratecontains a release layer that enables a fast detaching from the sampleand to avoid sticking of the intermediate substrate to the sample. Tothat end, a chemical or mechanical approach or both can be used. Aflexible substrate or a film can be used for easy mechanical detachmentand FEP, Teflon coat or silicone-based coats can be used for chemicaldetachment.

In some embodiments of the invention, during movement of theintermediate substrate between printing units the printed material iscured by UV light or dried by a heater. In addition, the printed imagemay be processed by an imaging system. Such an imaging system may be amicroscope or a charge-coupled device (CCD) that takes a picture of theprinted material on the intermediate substrate and measures the dots intwo dimensions, with the measurement data subsequently being transferredto a cleaning unit to avoid adding a defective layer to the finalsubstrate. Alternatively, the imaging system may be a three-dimensional(3D) microscope that takes a picture of the printed material dots on theintermediate substrate and measures the dots in three dimensions, withthe measurement data subsequently being transferred to a cleaning unitto avoid adding a defective layer to the final substrate. In stillfurther embodiments of the invention, the imaging system is twomicroscopes or CCDs arranged such that one can image the printedmaterial dots on the intermediate substrate and measure the dots in twodimensions (e.g., length and width) while the other measures the dots ina third dimension (e.g., height), with all of the measurement datasubsequently being transferred to a cleaning unit to avoid adding adefective layer to the final substrate. In any event, imaging systemsmay be included before and/or after the curing unit and may captureimages from the intermediate substrate, the final substrate, or fromboth. In one embodiment of the invention, an imaging system at thecuring unit may employ a mirror to obtain images from a surface of theintermediate substrate and/or a main laser channel printing unit toimage both the material dimensions and a target area of the finalsubstrate simultaneously.

In some embodiments of the invention, the curing unit may be a vacuumchamber that contains a sample holder, a curing unit and a very accuratez axis to control the engagement and disengagement of the intermediatesubstrate and the sample. The intensity of the vacuum will define theamount of bubbles that will entrapped inside the sample.

In some embodiments of the invention, some additional units can be addedto the system. In some embodiments of the invention a laser sinteringsystem can be added to sinter materials that can be sintered at hightemperature. For example: sintering of metal particles within a metalpaste that can be printed and sintered later.

In some embodiments of the invention, a laser ablation unit can be addedafter printing or after curing of the sample. The laser ablation unitcan enhance the sample resolution of the printed layer after curing orbe used for sample detachment after curing. The laser ablation canincrease the printing resolution as a post printing process or ascleaning tool during printing before curing.

In some embodiments of the invention, a material filling unit can beadded. A mold of material can be printed using UV curable materials andthen a non-curable material such as epoxies, thermoplastics and metal orceramic pastes can be filled inside the mold - layer by layer or everyseveral layers. The filling material unit enables a versatile use of thesystem and increases the materials that can be used with thevacuum-assisted laser 3D printing machine almost endlessly.

A full system workflow can be as suggested below:

-   a. Several printing units: printing different types of materials on    the same intermediate substrate that moves through all the stations    one by one (in each station there is a substrate in some stage of    printing to increase overall printing speed).-   b. Additional units: the intermediate substrate can move from the    printing units to complementary additional units between or after    the stations.-   c. Inspection and cleaning: each layer is checked before addition to    the sample and if a defect is found the layer can be cleaned    completely or fixed at an ablation unit.-   d. Layer addition to the sample: adding the layer to the sample may    be done by flipping the sample (but flipping is not mandatory and a    sample that engages with the substrate from the top is another    possibility).-   e. Curing unit: the sample and the intermediate substrate are held    close to each other during the curing (UV or thermal) and the    addition of the material layer to the sample. A good practice to    reduce entrapment of air bubbles inside the sample is to use a    vacuum chamber.-   f. Post process: the sample can be fixed after the addition of the    layer by laser ablation. The sample can also be thermally cured    before moving to the next layer. Another possibility is to add/jet    material directly on the sample inside the vacuum chamber or in    another post process unit.-   g. Return to the beginning: the intermediate substrate can be    flipped back to its original orientation (if required) and cleaned    before starting the process from the beginning.

These and further embodiments of the invention are described in detailbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed incolor. Copies of this patent or patent application publication withcolor drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and paymentof the necessary fee.

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and notlimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates, in a conceptual manner, a system configured inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention which employs anarrow or contact gap printing system, post-printing processing and/orinspection, and a non-digital curing during contact to a sample toprovide high resolution and high speed printing of viscous materials.

FIG. 2 illustrates schematically aspects of a system configured inaccordance with the conceptual overview presented in FIG. 1 .

FIGS. 3 a - 3 e illustrate alternative arrangements for a systemconfigured in accordance with the schematic illustration shown in FIG. 2, in which FIG. 3 a shows an example of such a system based on laserassisted deposition in a printing unit and a UV module, FIG. 3 billustrates the process of printing and sample building of a UV curablematerial, FIG. 3 c illustrates the same process as FIG. 3 b withprinting on an opposite side of the intermediate substrate to avoidflipping of the substrate, FIG. 3 d shows an example of such a systembased on laser assisted deposition and a heating module, and FIG. 3 eillustrates a fully cured layer that is released by a laser from theintermediate substrate.

FIG. 4 illustrates the printing of a uniform film by placing a materialon a film substrate by a syringe and passing the material through awell-defined gap to create a uniform layer, flipping the substrate, andcuring the layer, in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of printing multiple materials to the samelayer, in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b illustrate examples of intermediate substrates,including a chemically inert substrate or a substrate that is coatedwith fluoro or silicone polymers, in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6 c illustrates another embodiment of the invention, in which theintermediate substrate is held by a functional holder to enhance itsperformance.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b illustrate examples of intermediate stations that canbe used during printing. FIG. 7 a illustrates an inspection unit, whileFIG. 7 b illustrates a substrate cleaning unit.

FIGS. 8 a-8 c illustrate aspects of using different intermediatestations: an additional curing system (FIG. 8 a ), an additional thermalcuring unit (FIG. 8 b ), and an example of a curing station using aninert gas (FIG. 8 c ).

FIGS. 9 a-9 d illustrate aspects of using different intermediatestations: an additional sintering unit (FIG. 9 a ) or an ablation unit(FIG. 9 b ), and using those units to sinter or ablate materials on theintermediate substrate (FIG. 9 c ) or directly on the sample (FIG. 9 d).

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b illustrate aspects of using different intermediatestations: an additional material filing unit on the intermediatesubstrate (FIG. 10 a ) or directly on the sample (FIG. 10 b ).

FIGS. 11 a and 11 b illustrate aspects of using different intermediatestations: an additional pick and place unit on the intermediatesubstrate (FIG. 11 a ) or directly on the sample (FIG. 11 b ).

FIG. 12 illustrates a full workflow of printing using several printingunits and several additional units before inspection of and cleaning thesample, flipping the sample, and curing and detachment of the sample.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before describing the invention in detail, it is helpful to refer toFIG. 1 that illustrates, in a conceptual manner, a system configured inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention which employs anarrow or contact gap printing system, post-printing processing and/orinspection, and a non-digital curing during contact to a sample toprovide high resolution and high speed printing of viscous materials. Asfurther described below, the narrow or contact gap printing system 102performs an initial printing of the viscous material to an intermediatesubstrate. As part of the preprinting processing and/or inspection, theintermediate substrate may be observed by one or more imagingarrangements for monitoring and control of the initial and subsequentprinting processes. Then, after the intermediate substrate is moved bymoving unit 104 to a sample building unit, the intermediate substratemay be employed as part of a curing unit 106 to transfer the viscousmaterial to a final substrate. In one implementation of this two-stepprinting procedure, the viscous material is printed from more than oneprinting unit on the intermediate substrate, creating a multiplematerial layer that can be deposited on the final substrate (sample).

The first printing process may be a laser assisted deposition or otherlaser dispensing printing, where dots of the viscous material areejected from a uniform layer thereof on a coated substrate (e.g., adonor substrate) onto (or into) the intermediate substrate using a highfrequency laser. The jetting of the material is preferably conducted ina well-defined and robust way to minimize variations in dot sizes. Toensure the uniform coating of the viscous material onto the donorsubstrate, an optional coating system may be used to coat the donorsubstrate before the donor substrate is provided to the first printingunit at which the laser assisted deposition or other laser dispensingprinting is performed. This coating system may be a traditional coatingsystem such as a coating system based on a micro gravure or slot diecoater or a roller coating system. Alternatively, the coating system maybe a screen printing-based coating system, a dispenser, or an inkjetsystem. In still other embodiments, the coating system may be based on asyringe and gap system in which the viscous material is dispensed from asyringe to a donor substrate which then passes through a well-definedgap, e.g., formed by blade of other kind of barrier, or a pair ofrollers or cylinders. After passing through the gap, a uniform layer ofthe viscous material will be present on the donor substrate and thelaser assisted deposition / laser dispensing system can jet dots ofmaterial from the coated, donor substrate to the intermediate substrate.After providing the uniform layer of viscous material for printing inthe first printing process, the donor substrate can be returned to thecoating system (e.g., in a loop or by linear translation) for recoatingby the coating system to create a new uniform coated layer on the donorsubstrate for the next printing by the first printing process. The donorsubstrate may be a transparent film or other substrate, with or withouta metal (or other) coating.

Systems configured in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention may be used for printing a wide variety of liquid and/or pastematerials. However, the present invention provides particular benefitsfor the printing of highly viscous materials that cannot be printed wellin high resolution by other methods. For example, systems configured inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention find particularapplication in printing high viscosity UV cured polymers, solder pastesand other metal pastes, as well as polymers, like acrylics, epoxies, andurethane-based adhesives, pastes or waxes. The present invention mayalso be employed in connection with the printing of sensitive materialssince a coated, donor substrate can be maintained in a controlledenvironment prior to the first printing process so as to avoid solventevaporation or oxidation of the material to be printed.

The first printing process need not necessarily employ a laser assisteddeposition / laser dispensing system. In some embodiments, the firstprinting process may employ a dispenser or an inkjet head, or it couldemploy conventional 2D printing techniques such as offset printing,gravure printing, or other printing techniques. The first printingprocess may also be performed using screen printing or a combination ofthese techniques.

The laser jet release system may include a high frequency laser arrangedto scan the intermediate substrate in two dimensions to jet the materialfrom the coated substrate to the intermediate substrate. Alternatively,a direct transfer system may be used in which the intermediate substrateengages the donor substrate directly to transfer the viscous materialtherebetween.

After printing to the intermediate substrate, the viscous material maybe cured by UV or infra-red light provided by curing unit 106 or driedby a heater. The viscous material can also be sintered or ablated beforemoving the viscous material to the curing chamber of the curing unit106.

FIG. 2 illustrates schematically aspects of systems 200 configured inaccordance with the conceptual overview presented in FIG. 1 . Each ofthese systems segregate the viscous material jetting process from theapplication process, thereby addressing jetting failures while avoidingissues caused by conventional printing processes. The respective systemsinclude one or more imaging arrangements for monitoring and control ofthe jetting and application processes. In FIG. 2 , the printing system202 includes a coating system 204 that creates a uniform layer of theto-be printed material 207 (e.g., a highly viscous material such as apolymeric material, a solder paste or other metal paste(s), a ceramicpaste, a wax material or a mix of a polymer and a monomer material, or asensitive low viscosity material) on a donor substrate 206.

In one embodiment of the invention (as illustrated further in FIG. 4 ),the coating system 204 includes a syringe of the to-be printed material207 and an air or mechanical pump that drives the material from thesyringe onto the donor substrate 206. The donor substrate 206 is thenmoved, using motors, toward a well-defined gap between rollers or knivesto create a uniform layer of the to-be printed material with a thicknessthat is defined by the gap. In some embodiments of the invention, thedonor substrate 206 can translate bidirectionally in a controlledmanner, while opening the gap between the coater rollers, creating thepossibility for recoating the same area of the donor substrate 206 withthe to-be printed material without contamination to the rollers andreducing or eliminating the amount of donor substrate consumed duringthe initial printing process, thereby preventing waste.

In further embodiments, coating system 204 may include a screen-printingmodule where the donor substrate 206 is coated using a screen or stencilwith well-defined holes, the viscous material being applied theretousing a blade or a squeegee, with the viscous material being latertransferred to the donor substrate 206 in a soft or hard engage.Alternatively, coating system 204 may include a dispenser or an inkjethead to print the viscous material onto donor substrate 206. Or, thecoating system 204 may be a gravure or micro-gravure system that coatsthe donor substrate 206 with a highly uniform layer of the to-be-printedmaterial. In one embodiment of the invention, coating system 204 is aslot-die system that coats the donor substrate 206 with a highly uniformlayer of the to-be-printed material. In another embodiment of theinvention, coating system 204 is a roller coating system that coatsdonor substrate 206 with a highly uniform layer of the to-be-printedmaterial. Although not shown in detail, the printing system 202 of FIG.2 may also include a coating system 204 as part of a narrow gap /contact printing process, which forms the first printing processdescribed above.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in one embodiment of the invention, the narrow gap/ contact or other first printing process, which may include one or morelaser printing units 210, and optionally, a coating system 204, ishoused inside a closed cell 211 with a controlled environment (cold orhot) to prevent evaporation of solvent from the to-be printed materialor to prevent material oxidation, thereby prolonging the pot life of thematerial. In some embodiments of the invention, the coating system 204contains more than one material, thereby creating a possibility forprinting a plurality of materials onto an intermediate substrate 208 ina controlled sequence and making it possible to print more than onematerial on a final substrate. Camera 205 may be used to imageintermediate substrate 208 and/or donor substrate 206, and the imagesmay be used to control the coating of coating system 204 and/or theprinting of laser printing unit(s) 210.

The printing unit 202 produces areas of the to-be printed material 207on the intermediate substrate 208. In one embodiment of the invention, acontinuous transparent film substrate is used as an intermediatesubstrate 208 for the system. Alternatively, a transparent filmsubstrate coated by a metal layer or by a metal and a dielectric layermay be used as an intermediate substrate 208 for the system. Material onthe donor substrate 206 that is not transferred to the intermediatesubstrate 208 may be removed from the donor substrate by a materialreuse system 224 (e.g., that includes a blade that scrapes material fromdonor substrate 206, or a sponge that cleans donor substrate 206) forreuse in coating system 204.

The printing unit used in the narrow gap / contact or other firstprinting process may include a laser-based system 210 that contains ahigh frequency laser configured to jet portions of the layer of coatedmaterial from the donor substrate 206 to intermediate substrate 208. Thelaser assisted deposition / laser dispensing system 210 may be rotatedby 0-90 degrees or 90-180 degrees from a main axis of a gravitationalfield within which it is located, enabling simpler mechanics withoutreducing printing quality.

Alternatively, where no coating system is used, the first (e.g., narrowgap / contact) printing process may employ an inkjet head system thatenables jetting the to-be printed material 207 directly to theintermediate substrate 208. Alternatively, the first printing processmay use a dispenser head system that enables printing the materialdirectly to the intermediate substrate 208. Or, the first printingprocess may use an offset printer module, a gravure printing module, orany conventional printing technique to print the material directly tothe intermediate substrate 208. For example, the first printing processmay use a screen-printing module where the to-be printed material 207 iscoated on a screen or stencil of film with well-defined holes and ablade or a squeegee is employed to transfer the material to theintermediate substrate 208 in a soft or hard engage, creating an arrayof printed material on the intermediate substrate 208.

In some embodiments of the invention, the printing unit 202 employed inthe narrow gap printing process includes a very well-defined gap controlunit between the donor substrate 206 and the intermediate substrate 208.In one instance, the very well-defined gap between the donor substrate206 and the intermediate substrate 208 is maintained using a set ofthree actuators at corners of a control unit that allows bothtranslation and rotation, as described in U.S. PGPUB 2005/0109734 A1,U.S. Patent No. 6,122,036 A, WO 2016/198291, and EP 3,219,412 A1,incorporated herein by reference. Sets of three actuator units may beused at corners of a control unit for both the donor substrate 206 andthe intermediate substrate 208 to allow both translation and rotation inboth planes, wherein the two planes are independent of or riding on eachother. Alternatively, the very well-defined gap between the donorsubstrate 206 and the intermediate substrate 208 may be maintained byproviding a fixed support below the donor substrate and/or theintermediate substrate. Or, the very well-defined gap between the donorsubstrate 206 and the intermediate substrate 208 may be maintained byusing a transparent solid substrate instead of a film as an intermediatesubstrate.

In another embodiment of the invention, the very well-defined gapbetween the donor substrate 206 and the intermediate substrate 208 isachieved by using a fixed coating system 204 that moves only in the zdirection and an intermediate substrate 208 that can move only in the xand y directions of a plane that is connected directly to the fixedpart, providing a fixed support to both ends of the system.

In some embodiments of the invention, after printing to the intermediatesubstrate 208 in the printing unit 202, the printed intermediatesubstrate 208 is returned to the first printing unit 202 for a second(or additional) layer printing of viscous material. In any event, afterbeing printed with the viscous material (in the form of dots or otherareas) the intermediate substrate 208 is moved from the printing unit202 toward other printing units (not depicted) or the curing unit 212housed in sample building unit 220. The intermediate substrate 208 maybe moved by motors, e.g., where the intermediate substrate 208 is a filmor similar substrate, or where the intermediate substrate 208 is acontinuous film substrate, it may be moved by rollers to deliver thematerial printed at the printing unit 202 to the curing unit 212. In oneembodiment of the invention, the intermediate substrate 208 is atransparent solid substrate that can deliver the material printed at theprinting unit 202 to the curing unit 212 using a robotic arm, withoptional change(s) in direction therebetween.

In some embodiments of the invention, after printing, the intermediatesubstrate 208 is flipped (by system 214) to enable easier engagementwith the sample 216.

In some embodiments of the invention, the intermediate substrate 208contains a release layer that enables a fast detaching of the sample 216from the intermediate substrate 208 and to avoid sticking of theintermediate substrate 208 to the sample 216. To that end, a chemical ormechanical approach, or both, can be used. A flexible substrate or afilm can be used for easy mechanical detachment and FEP, Teflon coat orsilicone-based coats can be used for chemical detachment.

In some embodiments of the invention, during movement of theintermediate substrate 208 from the printing unit 202 to the curing unit212, the material printed on the intermediate substrate 208 (which maybe a material that can be cured by ultraviolet (UV) light or by heating)may be cured by UV light or dried by a heater (e.g., part of system218). Furthermore, during the movement of the intermediate substrate 208from the printing unit 202 to the curing unit 212, the material printedon the intermediate substrate 208 may be processed by an imaging system(e.g., part of system 214), cleaned by the cleaning unit (e.g., part ofsystem 214), and/or ablated or sintered by additional units (e.g., partof system 218).

The imaging system (e.g., part of system 214) may be one or moremicroscopes, charge-coupled devices (CCD), and/or other imagingcomponents that takes a picture (or pictures) of the printed material onthe intermediate substrate 208 and measures the material in two or threedimensions. For example, the imaging system (e.g., part of system 214)may include two microscopes or CCDs arranged such that one can image theprinted material on the intermediate substrate 208 and measure thematerial in two dimensions (e.g., length and width) while the othermeasures the material in a third dimension (e.g., height). Thismeasurement data may be subsequently transferred to the cleaning unit(e.g., part of system 214) in order to ensure accurate deposition of theviscous material on the final substrate 222 (also called the “samplesubstrate”). For example, the optical or other imaging inspection mayreveal that while many of the layers are suitable for transfer to thefinal substrate 222, some of the layers are unsuitable for transfer tothe final substrate 222. A controller (not illustrated) having access tothis data may then operate the cleaning unit 214 so as to cleanunsuitable layers to the final substrate 222. Imaging systems (e.g.,part of system 214) may be included before and/or after the materialtransfer area of curing unit 218 and may capture images from theintermediate substrate 208, the final substrate 222, or from both. Inone embodiment of the invention, the imaging system (e.g., part ofsystem 214) is positioned at the curing unit 212 and a mirror or otheroptical element employed to obtain images from the surface of theintermediate substrate and/or a laser channel of a printing unit may beused to image both the material dimensions and the final substrate printarea simultaneously using the in-line inspection system (e.g., part ofsystem 214).

In some embodiments of the invention, the inspection system (e.g.,camera 205 and/or part of system 214) can be used to monitor and controlthe coating “on the fly” capturing the picture of the printed materialdirectly on the intermediate substrate 208 and on the coated substrate206 as well. The material coat area and thickness can be controlled bythe inspection of the coated substrate and the intermediate substrateand such an inspection can be used to calibrate the dot size and coatinggap. The coating gap can be changed and the effect on the dot size incombination with the laser spot and energy can control the overall voxelsize and thickness very accurately.

In some embodiments of the invention, some additional units 218 can beadded to the system. In some embodiments of the invention, a lasersintering system (e.g., part of system 218) can be added to sintermaterials that can be sintered at high temperature (e.g., sintering ofmetal particles within a metal paste that can be printed and sinteredlater).

In some embodiments of the invention, a laser ablation unit can be addedafter printing or after curing to the sample 216. The laser ablationunit can enhance the sample resolution of the printed layer after curingor to be used for sample detachment after curing. The laser ablation canincrease the printing resolution as a post printing process or ascleaning tool during printing before curing.

In some embodiments of the invention, a material filling unit can beadded to the system. A mold of material can be printed using UV curablematerials and then a non-curable material such as epoxies,thermoplastics and metal or ceramic pastes can be filled inside themold - layer by layer or every several layers. The filling material unitenables a much more versatile use of the system and increases thematerials that can be used with the vacuum-assisted laser 3D printingmachine almost endlessly.

FIGS. 3 a - 3 e illustrate alternative arrangements for a systemconfigured in accordance with the schematic illustration shown in FIG. 2. Beginning with FIG. 3 a , an example of such a system based on a laserassisted deposition printing unit and a UV module is shown. Within FIG.3 a , view 3a-1 illustrates a laser printing unit 302 situated above adonor substrate 304 (e.g., a coated film) and an intermediate substrate306. The to-be-printed material 308 is transferred from the donorsubstrate 304 to the intermediate substrate 306 by the laser beam 309,e.g., by jetting.

Next, as shown in view 3a-2, an arm or other means is used to flip theintermediate substrate 306 to orient the side of the intermediatesubstrate 306 with the transferred material 308 to face away from laserprinter system 302 and into proper alignment with the curing area.

Then, as shown in view 3 a-3, intermediate substrate 306 is insertedinto a vacuum chamber 312 where the intermediate substrate 306 (with thetransferred material 308) is engaged with the sample 310 veryaccurately, creating a new layer on top of the sample 310. As depictedin view 3 a-3, sample 310 may be anchored to substrate 314. View 3 a-4shows the transferred material 308 being cured by UV curing system 316,thereby adding a new layer to the sample 310. Immediately afterwards, adisengage movement is started and the sample 310′ (with the newly curedlayer) is moved away from the intermediate substrate 306, leaving aclean intermediate substrate 306 and a flat top surface on theintermediate substrate 306.

FIGS. 3 b-3 e illustrate further examples of several processconfigurations that can be used to create a layer on a sample inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 3 billustrates a process using a UV curable material 320 that is printedonto the intermediate substrate 306. As depicted in views 3b-1 and 3b-2,the material 322 builds up on the intermediate substrate 306 to a heightof several layers. As depicted in view 3b-3, the intermediate substrate306 is flipped, and then, as depicted in views 3b-4 and 3b-5, thematerial 322 is oriented with respect to sample 324. As depicted in view3b-6, UV light illumination system 326 is used to cure the material 322,and thereby secure material 322 to the sample 324 so as to form a morecomplete version of the sample 324′. As depicted in view 3 b-7, theintermediate substrate 306 is then disconnected from the sample 324′.

FIG. 3 c illustrates the same process as FIG. 3 b , except that itemploys a printing system directed opposite to the gravitational fieldin which it is operated, avoiding the step of flipping the intermediatesubstrate 306. Similar to the process in FIG. 3 b , the intermediatesubstrate 306 is contacted to the sample 324 using UV light, and thenthe intermediate substrate 306 is disconnected from the sample 324′.

FIG. 3 d illustrates a system similar to that of FIG. 3 b , except thata heat-curable material 327 instead of a UV curable material 320 is usedfor the sample building. The process is similar, but the curing systemnow uses heat instead of UV light. As depicted in views 3d-1 and 3d-2,the heat-curable material 328 is built up on the intermediate substrate306 to a height of several layers. Then, as depicted in view 3d-3, theintermediate substrate 306 is flipped, and as depicted in views 3d-4 and3d-5, the material 328 is oriented with respect to sample 324. Asdepicted in view 3d-6, a heating system 330 is used to cure theheat-curable material 328, and secure heat-curable material 328 to thesample 324 so as to form a more complete version of sample 324′.Finally, as depicted in view 3 d-7, the intermediate substrate 306 isdisconnected from the sample 324′.

FIG. 3 e illustrates a system similar to that of FIG. 3 b , and furtherillustrates disconnecting the intermediate substrate 306 from the sample324′ using laser 332 from laser system 334. The laser 332 is used toetch the top surface of the intermediate substrate 306 and disconnectthe sample 324′ from the intermediate substrate 306. The same laser 332can also be used to sinter or to ablate features on the sample 324′.

FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a system 400 configured in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, system 400includes a coating system 401 (which may include reservoir 408, coater402, etc.) that creates a uniform layer of the to-be printed material404 on a donor substrate 406 using an air or mechanical pump (not shown)to drive the material from a reservoir 408, e.g., a syringe, onto thedonor substrate 406. The donor substrate 406 is then moved, usingrollers 410 or gears, toward a well-defined gap 407 between rollers orknives to create a uniform layer of the to-be printed material 404 onthe donor substrate 406 with a thickness that is defined by the gap 407.

The system also includes a laser printing unit 412 configured to producean image 418 using the to-be printed material 404 on the intermediatesubstrate 416. In this example, the donor substrate 406 may be atransparent film and the laser printing unit 412 includes a laser modulethat contains a high frequency laser arranged to jet portions of thelayer of coated material 404 from the donor substrate 406 to form image418 on intermediate substrate 416 by focusing a laser beam 420 onto theinterface between the layer of to-be printed material 404 and the donorsubstrate 406. The incident laser beam 420 causes local heating and highlocal pressure which drives jetting of the to-be printed material 404onto the intermediate substrate 416. After printing the image 418 to theintermediate substrate 416 in the laser printing unit 412, the printedintermediate substrate 416 can be returned for a second (or additional)layer printing of material by reversing the direction of rollers 410 orgears or continuing the movement of intermediate substrate 416 throughthe coating system in a loop-like process.

Alternatively, the donor substrate 406 may be a screen or grid in whichthe to-be printed material 404 is introduced into holes of the screen bycoater 402, which may be a roller or blade. In such cases, the incidentlaser beam 420 from the laser module 412 causes the to-be printedmaterial 404 to be displaced from the holes in the screen onto theintermediate substrate 416.

The coating and printing process can be accompanied by a camera 422 thatchecks the area of coated material and can calibrate (e.g., via afeedback system that includes a controller that adjusts the gap width)the coating gap 407 to control the coated material thickness veryaccurately. The same camera 422 can inspect the printing process andcalibrate (again via the controller) the energy and spot size of laser420 to overcome some of the variation in the coating thickness and tocontrol the dot size and voxel size.

Once the image 418 is printed on the intermediate substrate 416, theimage 418 is moved to the next station, e.g., by moving the intermediatesubstrate 416 using rollers or gears, toward another printing unit orother intermediate units or the curing unit 424. Although notillustrated in this drawing, the intermediate substrate 416 may be afilm substrate that is moved in a continuous loop-like fashion so thatan image of material may be printed thereon at the printing unit 412,subsequently transferred to the final substrate 426 at the curing unit424, and the now bare intermediate substrate 416 returned to thetransfer area of the first printing unit 412 to receive a new image ofmaterial.

During movement of the intermediate substrate 416 from the printing unit412 to the curing unit 424, the image 418 of material may be cured by UVlight (not depicted) or dried by a heater (not depicted). Furthermore,during the movement of the intermediate substrate 416 from the printingunit 412 to the curing unit 424, the dots of material printed on theintermediate substrate may be processed by an imaging system 422 thatincludes one or more 3D and/or 2D imaging components that take picturesof the printed image of material and measure the image in two dimensionsor three dimensions. This measurement data may be used by the cleaningunit (not depicted) in order to remove defective layers and also by thecuring unit 424 to ensure accurate deposition of the material on thefinal substrate 426.

The movement of the intermediate substrate 416 from the printing unit(s)412 to the curing unit 424 conveniently can be done by flipping theintermediate substrate using a mechanical arm 430. As a result, theprinting and other supplementary processes are done facing up (assistedby the gravitational field) and the addition of the image 418 to thesample 432 is done facing down again assisted by the gravitationalfield. However, this is only a good practice and not a limitation, andboth the printing and the attachment to the sample 432 can be performedopposite to the gravitational field or in other orientations.

The curing unit 424 may include a vacuum chamber 434 to enable thecuring in a controlled environment and may also contain a UV or visiblelight source that can cure the full image using UV light 428 in oneprolonged exposure. The intermediate substrate 416 is placed in thevacuum chamber 434 and the sample 432 is moved in three directionstoward the intermediate substrate 416 in a very accurate manner. Afterengaging, the UV light source of UV curing system 424 is used to curethe layer on top of the sample 432, creating a very smooth and flat topsurface on the sample 432. The final step is a disengagement of thesample 432 (with the cured material attached thereto) from theintermediate substrate 416, which cleans the intermediate substrate 416as a convenient byproduct.

An alternative arrangement of the curing unit 424 may include a lasermodule (not depicted) with an in-line inspection unit (not depicted). Asthe intermediate substrate 416 is moved to a target area of the curingunit 424, the laser module is activated to emit a laser beam incident onthe intermediate substrate 416 in order to deliver the material 418printed at the printing unit(s) 412 to the final substrate 426 (alsocalled “sample substrate”). The in-line inspection unit positioned atthe curing unit 424 includes a mirror or other optical element(s)employed to obtain images from the surface of the intermediate substrate416 to assist in an alignment of the final substrate 426 below thetarget area via a stage configured to move in two or three dimensions,as well as to help synchronize the pulsing of the laser module at timeswhen the image of material 418 on the intermediate substrate 416 is inthe target area. In some embodiments of the invention, the laser moduleof the curing unit 424 may be configured to scan the laser beam in araster-like pattern over the intermediate substrate 416 as it passesthrough a target area, releasing the image of material 418 onto thefinal substrate 426. The material can go through a UV curing systemand/or a drying system on its way to the curing unit, and/or UV curingand/or drying can be used after the material is printed on the finalsubstrate 426.

In an alternative arrangement of the printing unit, system 400 includesa coating system 401, in which the to-be printed material 404 is drivenfrom a reservoir 408, e.g., a syringe, using an air or mechanical pump(not shown) onto a roller. The material layer on the roller is keptuniform in thickness using one or more knives displaced a defineddistance above the surface of roller. The roller may be dimpled orotherwise formed with recesses to contain defined amounts of thematerial to be printed, which amounts are transferred to a printingroller as the two rollers contact one another in a material transferarea. Alternatively, the roller may have a screen or grid-like surfacewith holes into which the material is introduced. The roller may contactthe screen, effecting transfer of the material thereto. As the rollercompletes its rotation through a printing area, it transfers thematerial in the form of an image 418 onto the intermediate substrate416. After the material is transferred from the roller, that rollerpasses through an inspection area and any remaining material may beremoved using knives or other instruments prior to application of a newmaterial layer. The remaining elements of the system are as describedabove with respect to FIG. 4 .

In another embodiment of the present invention, a coating system 401creates a uniform layer of the to-be printed material 404 on a donorsubstrate 406, for example using one of the techniques described above.A first printing unit 412 then prints the material from the uniformlayer of the to-be printed material 404 on donor substrate 406 onto theintermediate substrate 416. In this example, a very well-defined gap maybe maintained between the coated donor substrate 406 and theintermediate substrate 416 by the use of a fixed support below theintermediate substrate 416 in the vicinity of the printing unit 412.Remaining elements of the system are as described above with respect toFIG. 4 .

As noted above, the intermediate substrate 416 can be a film but inother instances it may be a transparent solid substrate to ensure abetter registration and synchronization between the first printing unit412 and second printing unit 424 (also called the UV curing system).FIG. 4 shows printing from a coated donor substrate 406 onto atransparent solid intermediate substrate 416 that is then flipped tocreate a target for a second printing unit (i.e., UV curing system 424may be called a printing unit) where the transparent solid intermediatesubstrate 416 is used for printing the image 418 onto the finalsubstrate 426.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a system 500 having multiple printingunits to create a multi-material sample. Every printing unit 512 a, 512b has its own coating system 501 a, 501 b that includes a coater 502 a,502 b, material reservoir 508 a, 508 b (e.g., syringe) of a respectiveto-be printed material 504 a, 504 b and an air or mechanical pump thatdrives the materials onto respective donor substrates 506 a, 506 b. Thedonor substrate 506 a is first moved, using motors, rollers, etc.,toward a well-defined gap 507 a between rollers or knives of the coatingsystem 501 a, to create a uniform layer of to-be printed material 504 awith a thickness that is defined by the gap 507 a. When the to-beprinted material 504 a reaches the target area for the current material,the laser 520 a of the current station 512 a jets the material image 518a of the current material from the donor substrate 506 a to theintermediate substrate 516. The intermediate substrate 516 is thenmoved, by motors, rollers, robotic arm, etc., to another printing unit512 b where a different image 518 b is added to the intermediatesubstrate 516 by a similar process using laser 520 b. Laser units 512 aand 512 b may be the same laser unit with lasers 520 a and 520 b beingseparate laser beams produced by an optical arrangement that producesmultiple laser beams from a single laser unit. Such an arrangement mayinclude beam splitters, mirrors, lenses, and one or more masks to ensurethat only one laser beam is incident on a donor substrate at a time. Thecoating and printing process can be repeated as many times as needed,depending on the materials chosen by the user. An example of that kindof repeated process is the use of several colors and several materialswith different properties. A full color sample with different mechanicalproperties at different ends of the sample can be designed andmanufactured in that way.

The coating and printing process of each unit can be accompanied by acamera 522 (which may include multiple imaging stations for one or morecoating and printing units) that checks the area of coated material andcan calibrate the respective coating gaps 507 a, 507 b to control thecoated material thicknesses very accurately. The same camera 522 caninspect the printing process and calibrate the laser energies and spotsizes to overcome some of the variations in the coating thicknesses andto control the dot sizes, voxel sizes and layer thicknesses of eachmaterial, ensuring that there will be no variations in the overallthickness of the layer on the intermediate substrate in different areasand/or different materials.

After moving between the different printing units, the intermediatesubstrate 516 may be transported to different additional systems (notshown), flipped if desired by mechanical arm 530, and moved to thecuring unit 523. In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the curing unit 523contains a vacuum chamber 534 with a sample holder 526 (also called asample substrate) and a UV curing system 524. Similar to the systemdescribed above in FIG. 4 , the sample 532 may be moved in threedirections toward the intermediate substrate 516 very accurately. Afterengaging, the UV light source of UV curing system 524 is used to curethe layer on top of the sample 532, creating a very smooth and flat topsurface on the sample 532.

FIG. 6 a illustrates an example of a transparent inert (intermediate)substrate 602 that is configured in accordance with the presentinvention and includes a substrate material that prevents the printedmaterial both before and after the curing from adhering to thetransparent inert substrate. The transparent inert substrate can be forexample polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene(FEP), poly(fluorenylene ethynylene (PFE) or silicone based materials -materials with a very good non-stick properties, that will allow an easydetachment of the printed material from the transparent inert substrateand an easy transfer of the printed material to the sample. Theintermediate substrate can also be some other material that istransparent to ultraviolet (UV) light, such as glass or plastic (e.g.,polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) and can also beceramics like ZnO or indium tin oxide (“ITO”). The intermediatesubstrate can be a rigid one, but it is more convenient to have aflexible intermediate substrate, because the flexibility can improve thedetachment of the intermediate substrate from the cured layer of thesample. It is possible to combine those two properties together into anon-stick and flexible substrate and there are only two limitations tosuch a substrate - UV light transparency and prolonged working times. Itis noted that there are many materials for which very thin film thereofcan provide the properties of UV light transparency and an easydetachment of the cured material, but such thin films could fail afterseveral printing cycles. Therefore, a good compromise betweenmechanical, chemical, and optical properties is needed to arrive at theright intermediate substrate.

As depicted in FIG. 6 b , another way to meet the multiple requirementsfor the intermediate substrate is to choose a substrate 606 with goodmechanical properties and optical transparency (such as glass) and tocoat the substrate with a non-stick coat 604, like one of the abovematerials or any other, for example a material like Parylene, Gentoo™ orsimilar materials.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the intermediate substratecan make use of some mechanical mechanisms to detach the cured layerfrom the intermediate substrate. For example, a vibration module can beused to enhance the detachment by facilitating the movement of the twosurfaces that form the interface between the intermediate substrate andthe cured layer. Another way is to use a transparent piezoelectricmaterial like polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) with a coating oftransparent electrode like ITO. The piezoelectric substrate can changeits dimensions upon the application of an electrical field. Morespecifically, the intermediate substrate can detach from the cured layerof the sample in a gentle manner with an incremental increase ofvoltage.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the intermediate substratecan make use of some other mechanical ways to detach the cured layerfrom the intermediate substrate. For example, the surface of theintermediate substrate can be a porous material. As a result of theporous material, the printed material can be prevented from curing nearthe surface of the intermediate substrate by supplying air to thetopcoat during UV curing. The presence of air inhibits the curingprocess in the upper most microns, thereby preventing the cured materialfrom sticking to the intermediate substrate.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the intermediate substratecan make use of some other mechanical ways to facilitate the detachmentof the cured layer from the intermediate substrate. For example, if theintermediate substrate is flexible, some suction can be applied directlyto the intermediate substrate to enhance the detachment of the curedlayer from the intermediate substrate.

FIG. 6 c illustrates another embodiment of the invention in which theintermediate substrate 608 is held by a functional holder 610 (alsocalled a sample holder) to enhance its performance. In some embodimentsof the current invention, the sample holder 610 can have a temperaturecontrol surface that can freeze the material or heat cure the materialon the way to the sample building unit.

In some embodiments of the current invention, the sample holder 610 canhave an ultrasonic vibration unit that will de-gas or homogenize theprinted material or aid with the release of the intermediate substrate608 from the cured layer of the sample in the sample building unit.

In some embodiments of the current invention, the sample holder 610 canhave a vacuum holder to aid with the release of the intermediatesubstrate 608 from the cured layer of the sample in the sample buildingunit.

In some embodiments of the current invention, the sample holder 610 canhave a digital weight to control the voxel size during the printingprocess.

In some embodiments of the current invention, the sample holder 610 canhave an array of pressure sensors to control the contact of theintermediate substrate 608 and the sample in the sample building unit.

In some embodiments of the current invention, the sample holder 610 canbe a solid substrate that is pressed against a thin film to aid with therelease of the intermediate substrate 608 from the cured layer of thesample in the sample building unit.

FIGS. 7 a, 7 b, 8 a-8 c, 9 a-9 d, 10 a, 10 b, 11 a and 11 b illustratedifferent additional units that can be used to improve the printquality. FIG. 7 a illustrates an inspection unit 702.

To enhance the jetting placement and resolution during printing, animaging system 702 (also called an inspection unit) can be added tomonitor the dimensions and placement of the printed image 706 on theintermediate substrate 704 and on the sample. To that end, one or moreimaging systems 702 can be added both for monitoring the intermediatesubstrate 704 and for monitoring the printed image 706. The imagingsystem 702 for the intermediate substrate 704 can use a CCD, amicroscope, or a 3D microscope and computer software to monitor theprinted image 706 on the intermediate substrate plane and/or the heightof the printed image 706 at an angle perpendicular to the intermediatesubstrate plane. The monitoring can also be done before and/or after thecuring step by UV curing unit 712. The same imaging system 702 can beused to monitor the printed image 706 on the intermediate substrate 704from the top and/or from the side. The different imaging solutions areintended to increase the placement success rate and to reduce the needfor rework, creating highly reliable and reproducible results.

An inspection unit 702 can also use a main laser channel for imaging thesolid or film substrate in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention. In this example, an image is printed on a solidintermediate substrate and a camera is used to scan the image via themain laser channel. Alternatively, the camera may be offset from themain laser channel and a semitransparent mirror inserted therein toreflect images towards the camera. Imaging of this kind may be used toensure optimal placements of the material onto the sample. The sameimaging system can be used to monitor the material on the sample fromtop and/or from the side.

In the case that an error is detected by the inspection unit 702 on theintermediate substrate 704, in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention, the intermediate substrate 704 can be cleaned in thesubstrate cleaning unit 708. The cleaning unit 708 may include asacrificial substrate 710 that will collect the printed image 706 (nowconsidered an un-wanted layer) at a direct touch to the surface of theun-wanted layer 706, as depicted in FIG. 7 b . During the engagementbetween the sacrificial substrate 710 and the intermediate substrate704, a UV light from UV curing unit 712 can be used to cure the printedimage directly to the sacrificial substrate 710. A new layer will beaccumulated on the sacrificial substrate 710 and the intermediatesubstrate 704 will be cleaned and returned to the first printing unit tocollect a new layer.

Another approach to clean the intermediate substrate can use a rollerwith a knife. In that example, the material from the substrate is movingto the roller and cleaned from the roller by the knife. For thatprocess, two additional tools can be added. One is a carrier liquid in areservoir that will continuously wet the roller with a solvent likeethanol to enhance the surface cleaning, and the other is an air knifethat can dry the surface after the cleaning.

In some embodiments of the current invention, a speed cure or asemi-cure process is needed. To meet that need, an additional curingsystem outside the main curing system can be added. The curing systemcan be a UV curing system 802 (FIG. 8 a ) or a thermal curing system 803(FIG. 8 b ).

FIGS. 8 a and 8 c illustrate a UV curing system 802 for which the curingof a layer of UV curable material 801 a that is carried on intermediatesubstrate 804 can be performed in an inert gas atmosphere. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the UV curing system 802 isequipped with a gas diffusion system. A transparent cover 808 isdisposed between the UV light source 810 and the gas diffusion system.The gas flows into the gas diffusion system from gas inlets 806 and outthrough a diffuser 814 at the bottom of the system. A gas pressurehomogenizer 812 is used to ensure constant pressure throughout thesystem. The diffuser 814 is made of a transparent or diffuse material toallow UV light to pass through the diffuser 814 onto a workpiece 816,and in particular, onto the layer of UV curable material 801 a disposedthereon. The diffuser 814 consists of an array of micro-holes. The smalldiameter of the micro holes allows for a closed-packed array thereof sothat the gas is evenly distributed throughout the curing area. The smalldiameter of the micro-holes also means that a larger area of the surfaceof the diffuser 814 is free of holes, making its optical properties morehomogenous. This ensures more even light distribution. Of course, otherarrangements and sizing of the micro-holes may be employed so as tooptimize gas distribution and light distribution throughout the curingarea. The micro holes are covered with “bridges” of the material ofwhich the diffuser is made. The bridges ensure that all light passingthrough the diffuser must pass through some region of the transparentmaterial, further improving the light distribution.

FIG. 8 b illustrates a thermal curing system 803. In some embodiments ofthe present invention, a non-UV curable material can be used for theprinting. Therefore, in some cases, the non-UV curable material may bedried, while in other cases, the non-UV curable material may be cured bythermal curing. The above material is then printed to the intermediatesubstrate 804 to form a layer of non-UV curable material 801 b and movedwith motors to the heating unit 803. There, the layer of non-UV curablematerial 801 b is subject to heating and cured or dried.

More generally, a layer that contains both UV curing materials andthermal materials can be first UV cured and then thermally cured toproduce a fully cured layer. In such case, the heating process can beperformed in-line with the UV curing, before or after the UV curing ofother materials on the intermediate substrate 804. In the next stage, onthe same layer, a UV curable material can be printed to create anadhesion layer to the already cured first layer. By means of theadhesion layer, thermally curable materials can also be added to thesample when the UV material (i.e., the adhesion layer) is cured in themain curing unit and attached directly to the sample.

In some embodiments of the current invention, additional processing ofthe printed material is very important. For instance, after printing theimage, a metal paste that contains metal particles can be deposited ontothe image and sintered to create a continuous conductive layer on top ofthe printed image. The same material after sintering can be ablated inanother station in order to increase the image resolution. In order toperform such additional processing, an additional sintering and ablationsystem could be added as additional units.

In some embodiments of the present invention, material sintering has animportant role in the overall functionality of the printed object. FIG.9 a illustrates a sintering unit 900. In a sintering process, a laserbeam is focused onto a spot of the printed material 902, and as aresult, a significant heating process occurs very locally. The localheating of the printed material 902 can increase the temperature locallyto hundreds of degrees and even more in a very fast and efficientmanner. When a particle that absorbs that energy reaches a phasetransition temperature of the material, that particle and another nearbyparticle can melt together, creating a first building block of a linestructure. In the case of metals, the particles after a successfulsintering process will create a conduction line in the direction of thesintering. In ceramics, a ceramic line structure will be created. Whencorrectly performed, the sintering process can upgrade the printedmaterial functionality. Additional information regarding 3D sinteringmay be found in the prior art, for example in U.S. Patent Nos.5,155,324, 5,837,960, and 9,901,983.

Lasers have been used to remove or otherwise manipulate materials in avariety of ways. Lasers can ablatively remove a material bydisassociating surface atoms. The process is generally referred to as“laser ablation.” Practical applications of laser ablation commonly usepulsed lasers, and more commonly use short laser pulses. More recently,lasers of ultrashort pulses have started to have applications in theindustry. FIG. 9 b illustrates an ablation unit 906. In some embodimentsof the present invention, a material ablation can remove defects fromthe image 902 both before and after curing the image 902. It can alsoenhance the resolution of the object by cleaning edges and creating anoverall smoother surface than would be the case without any ablation.The use of ablation can also increase the printing speed by first usinga low resolution printing process (which can be performed in a shorteramount of time as compared to a higher resolution printing process) andthen following up with a high resolution cleaning/fixing process inwhich only excess material is ablated to obtain a very high resolutionimage in a very short printing run.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a printed material 902 isablated or sintered before the printed material 902 is cured at a curingunit, as illustrated in FIG. 9 c . In some embodiments of the currentinvention, the ablation or sintering process is performed directly onthe printed material 902 when the printed material 902 is attached tothe sample 910 (that is supported on sample substrate 912), asillustrated in FIG. 9 d .

In another embodiment of the present invention, sintering of the printedmaterial 902 before addition of the printed material 902 to the sample910 can be performed in the vacuum chamber 914 to first create, forinstance, a conduction line in the printed material 902, before adheringthe printed material 902 to the sample 910 at a later time. The printedmaterial 902 can also be sintered on top of the sample 910 if thesurface to be sintered and the sample surface are not the same. In thesame way, ablating before the curing can be a simple way for cleaningsmall defects from the to-be printed intermediate substrate 904, butmore commonly, it will be used to remove some defects after curing andto enhance resolution and print speed.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a material is filledinside a cured mold once in a layer or every several layers. FIGS. 10 aand 10 b illustrate filling a material at a low resolution and removingexcess portions of the material. FIG. 10 a illustrates a materialfilling unit 1000 positioned above the intermediate substrate 1002. Insome embodiments of the present invention, a UV-curable material can beprinted on the intermediate substrate 1002 and cured in the UV curingunit and then a material 1010 can be filled inside the already curedmold 1008. Using an additional adhesion layer, the material within thecured mold can be transferred to the sample. The approach of filling thematerial on the intermediate substrate 1002 is safer for the sample,since removing excess material is an action that can involve asignificant stress to the sample. Therefore, FIG. 10 a illustratesfilling being performed on the intermediate substrate 1002 and not onthe sample.

However, the addition of material directly to the sample is often moreconvenient from many aspects, and so FIG. 10 b illustrates analternative approach in which the addition of material 1006 directly tothe sample 1004 by a material filling unit 1000 takes place. In thisway, the material 1006 is added directly to the sample 1004 and excessmaterial is removed by a roller or a knife. In a next step, the material1006 can be heated or dried to form a solid layer. The use of materialfilling unit 1000 can be of great importance in the formation of metaland ceramic objects where the mold can be printed and the metal orceramic paste can be filled into the mold and later de-bound andsintered in an oven at elevated temperatures. That sintering processremoves the mold and the binders from the material, and creates a solidhigh-resolution metal or ceramic object.

In some embodiments of the present invention, an electronic device or aprinted circuit board (PCB) can be used during the buildup of thesample. In such cases, a pick and place unit 1100 can be added to thesystem and a full assembly can be achieved. FIGS. 11 a and 11 billustrate the addition of a pick and place unit 1100 that secures anelectronic device 1102 (e.g., a PCB) on the intermediate substrate 1104by applying an adhesive layer (e.g., that is UV or heat curable) on thetop or bottom surface of the electronic device 1102. The pick and placeunit 1100 can be part of the sample building unit, and the electronicdevice 1102 can be added directly to the sample 1104 that is supportedon sample substrate 1106, as shown in FIG. 11 b .

Thus, systems and methods for printing a viscous material, such aspolymeric materials and other pastes, have been described. In variousembodiments, these systems and methods employ a multistep procedure inwhich the viscous material is dispensed onto a donor substrate and isthen printed onto an intermediate substrate before finally beingtransferred, to the curing/sample building unit. The material can gothrough one or more steps of printing, drying, imaging or any additionalsystem as it proceeds through the various steps in the overall printingprocess. In order to achieve a very high resolution and high speed inthe printing, an intermediate substrate is used, making it possible tocreate many samples simultaneously. It also makes the printing much morereproducible to print in one place and to transfer to the sample inanother place since for the laser jetting it is important to have verywell-defined distance control between the coated donor substrate and theintermediate substrate. For that purpose, any of several mechanicalsolutions can be used. For example, the distance between the coateddonor substrate (which may be a film or foil) and the intermediate filmmay be defined deterministically by having both on the same mechanicalpart. Alternatively, the distance may be controlled by using amechanical, well-defined foil or two rollers adjacent to each other.Still further, the distance may be controlled by using a set of threeactuators at corners of a support unit that allows both translation androtation for each substrate.

Although not illustrated in detail, it should be appreciated that thevarious components of the printing systems described herein operateunder the control of one or more controllers, which, preferably, areprocessor-based controllers that operate under the instruction ofmachine-executable instructions stored on tangible machine-readablemedia. Such controllers may include a microprocessor and memorycommunicatively coupled to one another by a bus or other communicationmechanism for communicating information. The memory may include aprogram store memory, such as a read only memory (ROM) or other staticstorage device, as well as a dynamic memory, such as a random-accessmemory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, and each may be coupled tothe bus for providing and storing information and instructions to beexecuted by the microprocessor. The dynamic memory also may be used forstoring temporary variables or other intermediate information duringexecution of instructions by the microprocessor. Alternatively, or inaddition, a storage device, such as a solid state memory, magnetic disk,or optical disk may be provided and coupled to the bus for storinginformation and instructions. The controller may also include a display,for displaying information to a user, as well as various input devices,including an alphanumeric keyboard and a cursor control device such as amouse and/or trackpad, as part of a user interface for the printingsystem. Further, one or more communication interfaces may be included toprovide two-way data communication to and from the printing system. Forexample, network interfaces that include wired and/or wireless modemsmay be used to provide such communications.

FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic of the full system 1200 that can becombined from all the units described above. In some embodiments of thecurrent invention, only one printing unit with several coating units canbe used to print materials on an intermediate substrate. Theintermediate substrate is then flipped and moved to the vacuum unit (notdepicted) where it can be cured under vacuum conditions and added to thesample during removal from the intermediate substrate. The intermediatesubstrate is then flipped back and returned to the printing unit.

However, this is only one embodiment of the current invention and a morecomplicated approach can be used for the formation of other samples.FIG. 12 illustrates a full scheme of the sample production that containsall the components that may be used to process a single layer of sample,as that sample traverses through the system 1200. For example, the layercan be made of several different materials, both UV curable, heatcurable or non-curable. The materials of one layer can be added in aserial manner by one or more of printing units 1202 a, 1202 b, 1202 c,1202 d to the intermediate substrate and each material can go through anadditional suitable treatment already on the intermediate substrate. Ifit is a UV curable material, it could be cured in an additional UVcuring unit 1204. If it is a heat curable or a solvent base material, itcould be heated for reacting or for drying in a heating unit 1206. If itis a particle-based material, it could be dried and then sintered in thesintering unit 1208. If it is a material that is printed in lowresolution, it can be fixed in the ablation unit 1210. Additionally, ifit is an adhesive or structural material, it could also be added in amaterial filling unit 1212. All the former procedures can be performeddirectly on the intermediate substrate during the processing of the samelayer printing (e.g., using module 1214). The procedures can also beperformed repetitively, accumulating several layers on the intermediatesubstrate before adding the layer to the sample (e.g., using module1216). During all of these processes and after their completion, theintermediate substrate can be moved to an inspection unit 1218 and acleaning unit 1220 to be inspected and fixed (if needed). Aftercompletion of the layer, the intermediate substrate can be flipped (bysample flipping unit 1222) so that the layer will be built on top of thesample or stay in the same plane if the sample is held upside-down.Next, the intermediate substrate and the sample are held together in avery delicate manner inside a vacuum chamber (not depicted in FIG. 12 ).The vacuum chamber has an important role in the formation of a fullcontact without the formation of voids between the intermediatesubstrate and the sample, but the process can be also performed withoutthe use of a vacuum chamber. After the addition of the new layer to thesample, the intermediate substrate is removed by using both chemical andmechanical aids for the detachment. The sample can be furthermanipulated to obtain better sample production. For example, if athermally curable material were added to the sample, the sample could beheated up for reaction or drying inside the vacuum unit or in theadditional heating unit 1206. If the sample is a particle-basedmaterial, the sample can be sintered under a laser that is added to thevacuum chamber in the sintering unit 1208. If the resolution of thesample should be improved, the sample can be ablated in the vacuum unitor in the additional ablation unit 1210. If some material needs to befilled onto the sample, it can be done in both the sample building unit1224 and/or in the material filling unit 1212. If some material isneeded to be printed on top of the sample, an additional printing unitcan be added to the sample building unit 1224. The sample can beinspected before or after the curing inside the vacuum chamber or in theinspection unit 1218. When all processes are finished, the sample isready for the printing and attachment of the next layer. At the sametime, the intermediate substrate can be moved to a cleaning station 1226to remove unreacted materials from its surface. Data indicating thelocation and amount of unreacted material can also be used for improvingthe printing and curing of the next layer. If needed, the intermediatesubstrate is flipped back by sample flipping unit 1228 and the processmay be started from the beginning. Since any number of units can beadded, the speed of the process can significantly exceed the speed ofany 3D print production machine used today.

In various embodiments then, the invention provides:

1. Systems and methods that enable printing of a viscous material athigh resolution and high speed and which include at least one printingunit and an intermediate substrate that communicates the viscousmaterial between the printing unit and a sample building unit.

2. A system or method including a first printing unit that optionallyincorporates a coating unit, and that prints a material on anintermediate substrate, and a sample building unit that receives theintermediate substrate and prints a layer of the material therefrom ontoa sample.

3. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the first printing unitincludes the optional coating system, which coating system is configuredto create a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate.

4. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the donor substrate isa flexible film substrate or a solid substrate.

5. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the coating systemincludes a syringe of the material and an air or mechanical pump thatdrives the material from the syringe onto the donor substrate, whichdonor substrate is then transported toward a well-defined gap betweenrollers or knifes to create the uniform layer of the material on thedonor substrate with a thickness that is defined by the gap.

6. The system or method of embodiment 3, where the coating systemincludes a screen-printing module in which the material is coated on ascreen or stencil of film with well-defined holes using a blade or asqueegee, and the material is transferred from the screen or stencil offilm to the donor substrate in a soft or hard engage.

7. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the coating systemincludes a dispenser or an inkjet head to print the material onto thedonor substrate.

8. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the coating system is agravure or micro-gravure system that coats the donor substrate with ahighly uniform layer of the material.

9. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the coating system is aslot-die system that coats the donor substrate with a highly uniformlayer of the material.

10. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the coating system isa roller coating system that coats the donor substrate with a highlyuniform layer of the material.

11. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the coating system isincluded inside a closed cell with a controlled environment to prolong apot life of the material.

12. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the coating systemcontains more than one material, and is configured to print pluralmaterials onto the intermediate substrate in a controlled sequence.

13. The system or method of embodiment 3, wherein the donor substrate istranslatable bi-directionally through the coating unit in a controlledmanner by opening a gap between coater rollers, thereby permittingrecoating a same area of the donor substrate with the material withoutcontamination to the coater rollers.

14. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material is asolder paste or other metal paste used for printed electronics.

15. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material is ametal paste or a ceramic paste.

16. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material is ahighly viscous material.

17. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material is a waxmaterial.

18. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material is apolymer material or a mix of a polymer and a monomer material.

19. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material is asensitive low viscosity material.

20. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material iscurable by UV light or by heating.

21. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the material is onethat can be dried or reacted by heat, or a thermal cure material.

22. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the printing unit islaser-based system that contains a high frequency laser to enablejetting of the material from the donor substrate to the intermediatesubstrate.

23. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the first printingunit is a laser assisted deposition / laser dispensing system rotated by0-90 degrees or 90-180 degrees from a main axis of a gravitational fieldwithin which it is located.

24. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the first printingunit is an inkjet head system configured to jet a material directly tothe intermediate substrate.

25. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the first printingunit is a dispenser head system that prints the material directly to theintermediate substrate.

26. The system or method of embodiment 2, where the first printing unitis an offset printer module, a gravure printing module, or anotherprinting module that prints the material directly to the intermediatesubstrate.

27. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the first printingunit includes a screen-printing module in which the material is coatedon a screen or stencil of film with well-defined holes and issubsequently transferred from the screen or stencil of film to theintermediate substrate.

28. The system or method of embodiment 27, wherein a blade or a squeegeeis used to transfer the material to the intermediate substrate in a softor hard engage creating an image directly on the intermediate substrate.

29. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the first printingunit includes a gap control unit configured to maintain a well-definedgap between a donor substrate and the intermediate substrate.

30. The system or method of embodiment 29, wherein the gap control unitcomprises a plane of three actuators that allows both translation androtation.

31. The system or method of embodiment 29, wherein the gap control unitcomprises a plane of three actuators at corners of both the donorsubstrate and the intermediate substrate and which allows bothtranslation and rotation of both the donor substrate and theintermediate substrate.

32. The system or method of embodiment 31, wherein the planes of thedonor substrate and the intermediate substrate are independent of orriding on each other.

33. The system or method of embodiment 29, wherein the gap control unitcomprises a fixed support below the intermediate substrate.

34. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the gap control unitcomprises a transparent solid substrate as an intermediate substrate.

35. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein a continuoustransparent film substrate is used as the intermediate substrate.

36. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein a transparent filmsubstrate uncoated or coated by a metal layer or by a metal and adielectric layer is used as the intermediate substrate.

37. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein a transparent solidsubstrate coated or uncoated is used as the intermediate substrate.

38. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the intermediatesubstrate is movable between more than one printing unit and afterprinting is moved by motors toward other units.

39. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the intermediatesubstrate is a continuous film substrate that by rolling delivers thematerial printed at the first printing unit to other units.

40. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the intermediatesubstrate is a transparent solid substrate that delivers the materialprinted at the first printing unit to other units by a robotic arm orrails, with optional change(s) in direction.

41. The system or method of embodiment 2, further comprising a unitconfigured to cure the material or dry the material by heat duringmovement of the intermediate substrate from the first printing unit.

42. The system or method of embodiment 2, further comprising an imagingsystem configured to image the material during movement of theintermediate substrate from the first printing unit to any other unit.

43. The system or method of embodiment 42, wherein the imaging system isa microscope or a CCD configured to take a picture of a printed image ofthe material on the intermediate substrate.

44. The system or method of embodiment 43, wherein the imaging system isconfigured to transfer data gathered by the imaging system to anotherunit of the system for accurate deposition of the printed image of thematerial onto the sample or for cleaning the intermediate substrate.

45. The system or method of embodiment 42, wherein the imaging system isa 3D microscope that is configured to take a picture of a printed imageof the material on the intermediate substrate and measure it in 3dimensions.

46. The system or method of embodiment 45, wherein the imaging system isconfigured to transfer data gathered by the imaging system to anotherunit of the system for accurate deposition of the printed image of thematerial onto the sample or for cleaning the intermediate substrate.

47. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the system containsone or more additional printing units and is configured to print one ormore materials to the intermediate substrate in each of the first andadditional printing units.

48. The system or method of embodiment 47, further comprising one ormore of a laser sintering system and a laser ablation system, each indedicated units, and configured to process the material by lasersintering system or by laser ablation, as appropriate, during movementof the intermediate substrate from the one or more of the first oradditional printing units to the sample building unit.

49. The system or method of embodiment 42, wherein the any other unitsinclude components positioned before, in, and/or after the samplebuilding unit along a path of travel of the material on the intermediatesubstrate.

50. The system or method of embodiment 42, wherein the imaging system isconfigured to image the intermediate substrate, the sample, or both.

51. The system or method of embodiment 42, wherein at least portions ofthe imaging system located at the sample building unit include a mirrorarranged to permit imaging a surface of the intermediate substrate, or,by using a main laser channel of a sintering or ablation unit, imagingdimensions of an image of the material on the intermediate substrate anda target area of the sample simultaneously.

52. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the sample buildingunit contains a laser-based system that contains a high frequency laserconfigured to jet or detach an image of the material from theintermediate substrate to the sample.

53. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the sample buildingunit contains a laser-based system that contains a high frequency laserconfigured to ablate or sinter an image of the material on the sample.

54. The system or method of embodiment 2, further comprising a filingmaterial and planarization unit and/or a pick and place unit disposed ina path of travel of the intermediate substrate.

55. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the sample buildingunit includes a filing material and planarization unit or a pick andplace unit.

56. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the sample buildingunit includes a second printing unit that includes a deposition positionat which the intermediate substrate engages the final substratedirectly.

57. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the sample buildingunit includes a UV light or a heating unit and is configured to cure bythe UV light or dry by the heater, as appropriate, the final substrateafter printing of the material to the final substrate in a secondprinting unit of the sample building unit.

58. The system or method of embodiment 2, wherein the first printingunit includes a UV light or a heating unit and is configured to cure bythe UV light or dry by the heater, as appropriate, the material printedon the intermediate substrate and to return the intermediate substrateto the first printing unit or another printing unit for printing of asecond or additional layer of a second material.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a first printing unitconfigured to print a first image of a first material on an intermediatesubstrate; a second printing unit configured to print a second image ofa second material on the intermediate substrate on which the first imagehas been printed; and a sample building unit configured to receive theintermediate substrate having the first image of the first material andthe second image of the second material printed thereon and to transferthe first image and the second image from the intermediate substrate toa sample located in a vacuum chamber of the sample building unit.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising an ultraviolet (UV) light sourceconfigured to cure portions of the first image and second image printedon the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediatesubstrate having the first image and the second image printed thereonfrom the second printing unit to the sample building unit.
 3. The systemof claim 1, further comprising a heater configured to dry portions ofthe first image and second image printed on the intermediate substrateduring movement of the intermediate substrate having the first image andthe second image printed thereon from the second printing unit to thesample building unit.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising animaging system configured to image portions of the first image andsecond image printed on the intermediate substrate during movement ofthe intermediate substrate having the first image and the second imageprinted thereon from the second printing unit to the sample buildingunit.
 5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an ablation unitconfigured to ablate portions of the first image and second imageprinted on the intermediate substrate during movement of theintermediate substrate having the first image and the second imageprinted thereon from the second printing unit to the sample buildingunit.
 6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sintering unitconfigured to sinter portions of the first image and second imageprinted on the intermediate substrate during movement of theintermediate substrate having the first image and the second imageprinted thereon from the second printing unit to the sample buildingunit.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first printing unit includesa first coating system configured to create a first uniform layer of thefirst material on a first donor substrate, and the first printing unitis further configured to transfer first portions of the first uniformlayer of the first material from the first donor substrate onto theintermediate substrate, and wherein the second printing unit includes asecond coating system configured to create a second uniform layer of thesecond material on a second donor substrate, and the second printingunit is further configured to transfer second portions of the seconduniform layer of the second material from the second donor substrateonto the intermediate substrate.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein thefirst printing unit comprises a first laser-based system that includes afirst high frequency laser configured to transfer the first portions ofthe first uniform layer of the first material from the first donorsubstrate onto the intermediate substrate, and wherein the secondprinting unit comprises a second laser-based system that includes asecond high frequency laser configured to transfer the second portionsof the second uniform layer of the second material from the second donorsubstrate onto the intermediate substrate.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the first printing unit comprises one of an inkjet head system,a dispenser head system, an offset printer module, or a gravure printingmodule, and wherein the first printing unit is configured to printdot-like portions of the first material directly to the intermediatesubstrate.
 10. The system of claim 1, where the first material comprisesone of a highly viscous material, a solder paste or other metal pasteused for printed electronics, a metal paste, a ceramic paste, a waxmaterial, a polymer material or a mix of a polymer and a monomermaterial, a low viscosity material, a material that can be cured byultraviolet (UV) light or by heating, or a material that can be dried.11. A method, comprising: printing, by a first printing unit, a firstimage of a first material onto an intermediate substrate; printing, by asecond printing unit, a second image of a second material onto theintermediate substrate on which the first image has been printed; andtransferring the first image of the first material and the second imageof the second material printed on the intermediate substrate to a samplelocated in a vacuum chamber of a sample building unit configured toreceive the intermediate substrate having the first image and the secondimage printed thereon.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising,while the intermediate substrate having the first image and second imageprinted thereon is being transferred from the second printing unit tothe sample building unit, curing by an ultraviolet (UV) light sourceportions of the first image and the second image printed on theintermediate substrate.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising,while the intermediate substrate having the first image and second imageprinted thereon is being transferred from the second printing unit tothe sample building unit, drying by a heater portions of the first imageand the second image printed on the intermediate substrate.
 14. Themethod of claim 11, further comprising, while the intermediate substratehaving the first image and second image printed thereon is beingtransferred from the second printing unit to the sample building unit,imaging by an imaging system portions of the first image and the secondimage printed on the intermediate substrate.
 15. The method of claim 11,further comprising, while the intermediate substrate having the firstimage and second image printed thereon is being transferred from thesecond printing unit to the sample building unit, ablating by anablation unit portions of the first image and the second image printedon the intermediate substrate.
 16. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising, while the intermediate substrate having the first image andsecond image printed thereon is being transferred from the secondprinting unit to the sample building unit, sintering by a sintering unitportions of the first image and the second image printed on theintermediate substrate.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein printing thefirst material onto the intermediate substrate comprises: creating by afirst coating system of the first printing unit a first uniform layer ofthe first material on a first donor substrate; and transferring firstportions of the first uniform layer of the first material from the firstdonor substrate onto the intermediate substrate, and wherein printingthe second material onto the intermediate substrate comprises: creatingby a second coating system of the second printing unit a second uniformlayer of the second material on a second donor substrate; andtransferring second portions of the second uniform layer of the secondmaterial from the second donor substrate onto the intermediatesubstrate.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first portions of thefirst uniform layer of the first material are transferred from the firstdonor substrate onto the intermediate substrate by a first highfrequency laser of a first laser-based system of the first printingunit, and wherein the second portions of the second uniform layer of thesecond material are transferred from the second donor substrate onto theintermediate substrate by a second high frequency laser of a secondlaser-based system of the second printing unit.
 19. The method of claim11, where the first material comprises one of a highly viscous material,a solder paste or other metal paste used for printed electronics, ametal paste, a ceramic paste, a wax material, a polymer material or amix of a polymer and a monomer material, a low viscosity material, amaterial that can be cured by ultraviolet (UV) light or by heating, or amaterial that can be dried.
 20. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising, after printing the second image of the second material onthe intermediate substrate, flipping the intermediate substrate suchthat the first image of the first material and the second image of thesecond material are oriented adjacent to the sample.